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22 | MARCH 2016 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER
CIDER
I
t’s clear that the cider category has grown exponentially in Australia in
the last five or so years. According to Euromonitor International, global
cider volume consumption grew by 9% in 2014, and Australia’s share
of the consumption doubled from 2% of global totals to 4%. Erika
Sirimanne from Euromonitor International credits the large growth of cider
in Australia to its craft positioning – an idea that does well with consumers,
particularly millennials who appreciate boutique brands.
Currently in spirits categories, one of the largest drivers behind
consumer choice is heritage. This is reflected in the marketing campaigns
of brands like Jim Beam, whose new push is the heritage and credentials
of its whiskey.
In cider the biggest consumer driver is provenance. As cider drinkers
become more educated about what goes into their drinks, they are
expecting all-natural ingredients, and to know exactly where those
ingredients come from. Consumers now know that some of the cheaper,
more mass-produced ciders are made from concentrate rather than actual
fruit, and want to ensure that what they are drinking is natural and is of
real quality.
With the cider market in Australia projected to grow by a 6%
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) until 2019, it’s clear that
cider is here to stay and that the market will become more crowded. The
brands most likely to do well will be those that can position themselves
as authentic and natural. “Real cider players are likely to produce cider
naturally from apples as opposed to concentrate, with their products
possessing provincial branding, attracting a premium positioning and
targeting ‘cider purists’,” suggests Sirimanne.
PURE AND SIMPLE
As there is a general push in Australia, particularly among millennials,
to eat and drink to a healthier standard, the quality of ingredients are all
important when choosing what to drink. Cider is already seen as a lighter
alternative to beer, and so within the cider category itself, brands that can
claim all-natural ingredients are doing well.
One such brand is Rochdale Cider from New Zealand. The cidery is
over eighty years old, and the McCashin family, who have owned the
cidery since the 1980s, pride themselves on using the purest ingredients
in their cider, including the use of pure glacial water sourced from a
14,000-year-old aquifer found 350m below the cidery itself.
Scott McCashin understands the importance of using simple and
fresh ingredients. “We refuse to add sugar, additives or preservatives
of any kind to our cider – ensuring that Rochdale Cider remains in its
purest form. It’s important to us that people know what they’re drinking
and what has, or more importantly hasn’t, gone into it. The change in
awareness for cider and beer drinkers we’re seeing in the market is a
positive one – as we’ll never be ones to compromise the integrity of our
ingredients and welcome the interest that consumers are craving from
knowing where products are sourced from.”
Rochdale Cider has this year been introduced into the Australian
market in Dan Murphy’s and on-premise through Sydney Collective
venues such as Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel and Mona Vale Hotel, plus
The Greens in North Sydney and The Aviary in Western Australia.
LOCATION, LOCATION
The idea of being able to trace the provenance of cider ingredients,
namely apples, is also important to a lot of consumers, and cider brands
such as Pressman’s Cider and Batlow Cider are well aware of this.
Pressman’s Cider, made by Australian Beer Co is passionate about
heroing local ingredients, and all apples are sourced from the Goulburn
valley, around 300km from the Australian Beer Co brewery in Yenda,
New South Wales.
Australian Beer Co’s general manager, Derek O’Donnell, understands
the ‘locally-produced’ appeal among younger drinkers. “Originally
favoured by older drinkers, cider’s fresh, crisp refreshment is fast
gaining popularity with millennials looking for honest brands with
strong stories and clear ingredient traceability. They are becoming more
aware of the number of products on the market that use concentrate
Provenance
selling power
AS CONSUMERS
BECOME MORE
AWARE OF THE
CHOICES AFFORDED
THEM AND AS THEIR
STANDARDS RISE,
A KEY FACTOR
IN CHOOSING
CIDER IS PROVING
PROVENANCE.
Batlow Apples are used
with pride in Batlow Cider